News in Brief

 

Court blocks airline fee disclosure rule An appeals court has blocked implementation of the Transportation Department's new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees while it reviews the regulation, finding that the rule "likely exceeds DOT's authority and will irreparably harm airlines," which a three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said had provided "ample evidence" of this. Airlines for America and five of its member airlines filed the lawsuit in May.  Full Story: Simple Flying (7/30),  Reuters (7/30),  AeroTime (7/30)  US passports eighth most "powerful" (Miami Herald/Getty Images) US passports are the eighth most "powerful," granting visa-free access to 186 countries, having slipped from the number one spot since 2014. Henley and Partners, which specializes in residence and citizenship and publishes a passport index, suggested that this is due to limited reciprocity, as the US allows residents of only 45 countries to enter without visas.  Full Story: TravelPulse (7/26)  Analyst: Olympic cities do not see immediate benefit For at least the past 20 years, cities that have hosted the Summer Olympics have not reaped economic benefits in their host year, says OAG Chief Analyst John Grant, as high hotel and airfare prices discourage travelers. The good news for Los Angeles, Grant said, is that host cities do benefit from the "legacy effect" of an international audience seeing the city on its television screens for weeks.  Full Story: CNBC (7/28)  Calif. airport reopens historic terminal Long Beach Airport, just southwest of Los Angeles, officially reopened its historic terminal after a $17.8 million renovation that preserved the terminal's original wall clock and signage as well as mosaic artwork. "I'm proud of the careful work that the team has done to preserve its history and make improvements that will ensure that generations will enjoy [the building]," Mayor Rex Richardson said.  Full Story: Long Beach Post (Calif.) (7/27)  Las Vegas partners with Formula 1, plans festival The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has announced an official partnership with Formula 1 as the city gears up to host its second Grand Prix in November and celebrated an estimated $1.5 billion tourism impact from the first race. Meanwhile, the authority is also backing creation of a new music festival in the city's downtown neighborhood, which will overlap with the racing event but with the intention of becoming an annual, free concert festival.  Full Story: Sports Travel Magaz3 Los Angeles restaurants receive Michelin stars Michelin has unveiled its 2024 California restaurants guide, awarding seven new stars, including three in Los Angeles: Holbox, Meteora, and Uka. Vespertine in Culver City reclaimed its two-star status. The guide also features 10 new Bib Gourmand awards, several of which are in the Los Angeles area.  Full Story: Los Angeles NYC sets new rules for outdoor dining structures New York City is set to remove about three-fourths of its pandemic-era outdoor dining structures as it implements the new Dining Out NYC program, which aims to standardize outdoor dining with new guidelines that prohibit fully covered sheds and introduce seasonal and year-round setups. Despite efforts to promote the program, only a fraction of eligible eateries met the deadline to apply for permits, and the hospitality community has urged the city to extend the application deadline and revise some rules to encourage more participation.  Full Story: BNN BloombeNYC sets new rules for outdoor dining structures New York City is set to remove about three-fourths of its pandemic-era outdoor dining structures as it implements the new Dining Out NYC program, which aims to standardize outdoor dining with new guidelines that prohibit fully covered sheds and introduce seasonal and year-round setups. Despite efforts to promote the program, only a fraction of eligible eateries met the deadline to apply for permits, and the hospitality community has urged the city to extend the application deadline and revise some rules to encourage more participation.  Full Story: BNN Bloomberg (Canada) (8/5),  Nation's Restaurant News (free registration) (8/5) rg (Canada) (8/5),  Nation's Restaurant News (free registration) (8/5) Times (tiered subscription model) (8/5),  LAist (Los Angeles) (8/6),  Time Out (8/5)ine (7/29),  PlanetF1 (7/29),  Las Vegas Sun (7/29)

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